Chapter 10: Reprieve

Watching the police usher the White Fang into their vehicles and away from them didn't settle the nauseating butterflies swarming inside Ruby's stomach. Just minutes before, she had taken some of them down. Just minutes before, she was seconds away from dying at the hands of some huntress she'd never heard of.

Her Aura protected her from that huntress' vicious blows, but it couldn't protect her forever. It wouldn't have happened if she was strong enough or fast enough to win that fight. But she wasn't, and because of her weakness, that huntress crushed her.

What made her loss hurt even more was the fact that she beat Yang, too. Yang fought valiantly, she did her very best, but even when they fought together, their best wasn't good enough to keep that huntress from driving them face-first into the dirt.

The only reason why Ruby was still alive was because Weiss and Blake worked together to keep that huntress from skewering her stomach. It was why she could find solace in what she accomplished and what she had, in spite of her crushing defeat.

However, it was Penny, of all people, who did the rest and managed to drive her off. Penny, who she only met a couple of hours ago.

Right now, Penny was standing a short distance away from the paramedics, who were busy tending to Yang's wounds. While she was banged up, Ruby was sure glad that she hadn't been seriously injured. All she had to do was take things slow for the next couple of days. Weiss was busy talking to the police, while Blake was sitting on a crate near some police cars, examining Gambol Shroud.

Ruby had all the time in the world to talk to her saviour, and since she was standing on her own, no one would interrupt her. Hopefully.

"Hi, Penny," Ruby said, after she approached her.

The smile that erupted on Penny's face was pretty wide. A bit too wide, but it kind of had its own charm.

"Salutations! Is everything in working order, Ruby?"

Ruby smiled, without showing her teeth. "Yep. I feel fine. It's all thanks to you."

Penny didn't move an inch. It was kinda odd. Was she trying to think about the right words to say? "There's no need to thank me. I was only doing my job."

"You saved me, Penny. Not just that, you made that awful huntress run away."

"Are you sure she's a huntress? To me, she fought more like an assassin."

Ruby's mouth hung open, stumped as she was by the sudden question. "You know, I wouldn't be surprised if she was. I mean, I've never seen her before today, and I don't know who she is or what she does for a living. I do know one thing, though: we wouldn't be talking like this if you didn't do your job. You're a hero, Penny."

Penny's smile shrunk. "Do you really mean that?"

She nodded, making eye contact with her fellow fighter. "We only met today, but you still risked yourself to save me and Yang, and you didn't hesitate for a second. That's what heroes do."

"I see..."

Penny closed her mouth. She looked down at her shoes. With the silence that filled in between them, Ruby started to wither. It sucked that she couldn't just let things be without worrying that she might have messed up somewhere, coming on too strongly when all she wanted to do was thank Penny for what she did.

She forced herself to breathe, to remember why she came to Penny in the first place, and when she reined in her anxiety, she saw Sun approaching them, all smiles.

"Hey, ladies," he said.

"Hi, Sun," Ruby said.

Penny whirled around, greeting Sun with a huge smile. "Greetings, Sun! We were just having the most riveting conversation!"

"What was it about?"

"About our fight against this huntress that might also be an assassin. She was incredibly skilled, but I did my best during our battle and made her escape."

Sun smiled rather gently. "I'm not surprised. See, Ruby, I told you Penny was combat ready."

"That's right!" Penny said.

Ruby smiled, feeding off the positive energy in the air. "Well, I'm really glad you were. Thanks again, Penny."

Penny swung both of her arms. "It still seems strange to be thanked for doing my job."

"Ruby's just happy and grateful that you helped her out," Sun said. "Thanking you is her way of telling you that you did a good job."

"I see. It's not only for doing favours, then." Penny nodded to herself, before smiling at Ruby. "Then I appreciate your gratitude!"

Before she could respond, Ruby saw Penny clutch her right ear. Her smile quickly disappeared. Sun noticed, too, clasping Penny's shoulder after she dropped her hand.

"Everything okay, Penny?"

Penny frowned. "I have to go."

"Are you sure?" Ruby asked. "Don't you want to see Yang? Or talk more about hero stuff?"

"I want to, but I can't. I've been away for too long."

Ruby kept smiling. "It's okay. We'll just hang out another time."

She was disappointed that their time together was cut short, but she couldn't force Penny to stay, and it wouldn't be fair to make her feel worse when she was already down in the dumps.

"At the Vytal Festival, right?" Sun said. "Maybe before that, if we're lucky."

Penny's eyes sparked, gradually growing brighter. "I hope so. I'm grateful that I was able to meet you."

"Me too," Ruby said.

Sun smiled, letting go of Penny. "Until next time."

After Penny made her exit, Ruby decided to return to her team. Sun followed her, which she didn't mind. Not that she'd ever get in Blake's way, but Sun certainly seemed interesting as far as company went. If only she knew what to talk about.

"You're Blake's partner, aren't you?" Sun asked.

The sudden question startled her, but luckily for Ruby, she was able to compose herself without missing a step.

"I am. How did you guess?"

"Blake told me." He smiled. "She thinks pretty highly of you."

Ruby couldn't – and didn't want to – resist the smile that spread across her face. "I know. Thanks for taking care of her."

"You're welcome. Blake's pretty cool, isn't she?"

"Yeah, she is."

About the only thing that wasn't cool about Blake was her need to brood. In fact, she was brooding at this very moment, though Ruby couldn't blame her. Weiss had taken a seat on the opposite crate, pointedly looking away from Blake with her arms crossed tightly against her chest.

If she was better at talking to people, she could figure out a solution to her teammates' troubles, but the only approach that worked for her was shouting at them until they started seeing sense or pouring her heart out, which wouldn't work forever.

She wondered how would someone good at social stuff would handle things. Yang was still busy getting checked out, so she'd have to wait. Unless... it was worth a try.

"Hey, Sun, how did you handle talking to Penny?"

Sun looked at her, eyebrow raised. "How do you mean? I just talked to her."

Ruby bit her lip. "I know, but you guys were talking like you were lifelong friends! Tell me your secrets."

Her brazen plea was met by a languid shrug.

"I just did what came naturally to me. Penny had a lot of questions, so I just indulged her curiosity. Her questions were pretty interesting, too, so that helped make things easier for me. I also wasn't worried about making things awkward."

"You weren't?" she asked, utterly gobsmacked.

He grinned. "Why be awkward when you can be awesome?"

Ruby giggled, snorting out a laugh. "Seriously? That's all you have to do to stop being awkward?"

"The way I see it, unless you say something really dumb, feeling awkward's all in your head. Besides, I think you're better at talking to people than you think you are."

That didn't ring true to Ruby's finely tuned ears. However, she was saved from having to talk because they reached Weiss and Blake. Weiss noticed their arrival first, curling her lip.

"Making new friends, Ruby?"

Ruby sighed. "Sun's a cool guy, Weiss. Give him a chance and I'm sure you'll agree."

Weiss unfolded her arms, sparing one glance for Sun. "I never said it was a problem." She stood up and walked over to Sun, looking up to meet his face. "Thank you for helping us fight the White Fang."

Sun smiled, revealing bright teeth. "No problem. The White Fang's bad news, so I'm glad I got the chance to knock them off their high horse."

"As am I." Weiss's lips twisted into a triumphant smile. "You did quite well, Sun. If I ever find the chance to take on the White Fang again, I'll be sure to give you a call."

"Looking forward to it."

Blake scoffed. Ruby caught her shaking her head, without bothering to respond.

"That said, Blake was the one who brought us all together," Sun said. "She deserves credit, too."

Weiss' smile tightened. "Don't worry, I'm fully aware of that."

He chuckled, more to himself than to Weiss. "Just making sure."

Hopefully, he was right. Right now, though, Ruby was done with fighting of any kind.

"You want to hang out with us, Sun?" Ruby asked. "You know, while we wait for Yang?"

Sun looked all around him, his gaze inevitably falling on Blake. "You doing all right, Blake?"

Blake stared right ahead, before meeting Sun's eyes. "I'll be fine."

They shared a look, communicating in a language Ruby couldn't decipher. A few seconds later, Sun smiled. "Awesome. As much as I want to spend more time with you pretty ladies, it's getting pretty late. I'm gonna get back to the hotel."

"Make sure you give your statement to the police before you leave," Weiss said.

"Already did."

Blake stood up. "Don't let us stop you, Sun. Take care of yourself."

Ruby nodded. Maybe Sun was uncomfortable, but he sure wasn't making things awkward. "Yeah, we can all hang out some other time."

Sun's smile grew. "Thanks. It was nice seeing you all. Give Yang my regards."

With that parting request, Sun made a hasty departure. Now that Ruby was standing alongside Weiss and Blake, the cloying tension that permeated the air returned with a desperate vengeance. She wanted to put a stop to it, but she was too wound up to focus properly.

"How are you doing, Ruby?" Blake asked.

Ruby frowned. "I don't know. Stressed out, I guess?"

"I don't blame you," Weiss said. "That woman wanted to kill you! But we put a stop to that."

"Yeah..." Ruby caught herself. Weiss had just given her a path towards something good, something she could use. "You did. Both of you saved me. You worked together without even thinking about it."

Weiss put a hand on her hip. "Of course we did. We're teammates, after all. And I, for one, can put aside any enmity I might feel to fight for a higher cause."

Blake frowned, staring hard at Weiss. "So can I."

"So does that mean –"

"No. Sorry, Ruby."

Weiss' slim fingers clawed at her jacket, as her jaw clenched. "Of course. I shouldn't expect anything less –"

"What matters is that you're willing to work together," Ruby cut in. "We'll work from there. Okay?"

"It's not up to me," Weiss said.

"It is," Blake said. "But I've said enough."

The tension started to seep from the air, bringing with it much needed relief. Somehow, they were able to avoid getting into another fight. Now, all they had to do was wait for Yang, and fortunately, they didn't have to wait for long.

"The gang's all here," Yang said.

Ruby turned around. Her sister's mere presence made her smile. "Hi, Yang."

Yang twitched, before shooting Ruby a smile of her own. "Hey."

"How are you doing?"

"Just have to take it easy, but nothing can keep me down."

Except for that huntress... which wasn't remotely fair. She was stronger than any of them.

"I've got to take it easy, too," Ruby said, trying not to dwell on those awful thoughts. "Good thing there aren't any combat classes tomorrow, right?"

Yang grinned. "I guess I'll just have to get some practice in on my own time, huh?"

"It's just like you to ignore the doctor's orders, isn't it?" Weiss said.

"You know me too well, princess."

Weiss huffed. "Do I? Personally, I think you're too predictable."

Yang smirked. "Whatever you say." Her head started to swivel around. "Have you guys seen Penny?"

"She had to go somewhere," Ruby said. "It must've been important to her, because she really wanted to hang out."

She only shrugged in response. "Too bad. I guess Sun's gone, too, right?"

The lights in her eyes were incredibly dim. Ruby swallowed the lump that rose in her throat.

"Yeah. Before he left, Sun told me to send you his regards."

"Did he? How nice of him." Yang puffed out her cheeks, shaking her head. "At least we managed to fend off the White Fang, right, Blake?"

"We did," Blake said. "They're not done yet, though."

"But we did our best, and that's what counts. No point worrying about them now when we can go home instead. That's what I wanna do."

Yang spun around and began walking. Weiss frowned at the sight, while Blake crossed her arms around her chest.

"Is she all right?" Blake asked.

Ruby frowned. "She'll be fine. Yang's really strong."

It didn't dampen the pang of concern that lanced through her heart. Strong did not mean unbeatable or unbreakable. Ruby knew that all too well.

School was eerily normal the next day. Team RWBY was a full team again. Nobody had asked them about their trip to Vale's docks or about the fight against the White Fang, not even Professor Ozpin.

Ruby was grateful for the lack of scrutiny, but it only eased her nerves so much. Her dreams had taken her on a one-way trip to Nightmare City, population: her. In spite of the terror those twisted dreams wrought, she had grown used to their presence. She tried to sleep as much as she could, and when sleep didn't reach her, she read to occupy her mind and learn more about the world of Remnant.

Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one on edge. Yang was in a funk. It wasn't obvious to some average onlooker. Yang still smiled, made jokes, and tried to be positive. However, whenever she was feeling down, her attitude changed for the worse: her banter became littered with barbs and her patience ran really thin.

Her back-and-forth with Weiss after Grimm Studies stuck out like a sore thumb. Normally, Yang would leave after the bell rang, but she had stuck around, staring at the board long after most of their classmates had gone. This annoyed Weiss, who barged back inside seconds after Ruby left.

"We have a class to attend, Yang, or did you forget?"

"How can I forget anything? You'll just nag if I do."

"Giving you a reminder is not nagging. The last thing I want is for us to be late because you decided to twiddle your thumbs."

"Is that why you're still here? You need me to hold your hand, Weiss? I thought you were a big girl."

"Of course I am. You should be grateful I decided to wait for you at all."

"I would be, but I think you're wasting your time. If I were you, I'd hang out with my other friends. But I'm not you, because we all know how many friends you have."

"Is that right? Fine! Have it your way, Yang. Feel free to sulk around and feel sorry for yourself without me!"

It wasn't only Weiss who suffered. Blake tried to talk to Yang about studying together during lunch, since she wanted to cheer Yang up, but Yang wasn't interested.

"It's a neat offer and all, but what are we going to do, not talk for a few hours? I'd rather watch paint dry."

Even Ruby hadn't come out unscathed. Of course, Yang was never mean to her, but she was always at her side when she wasn't busy. Normally, this would be a great thing, but Yang somehow found a way to ruin it.

If Ruby wanted to chat to one of her casual acquaintances for a bit, Yang was there, hounding them with her presence. Yang was wound up, too, not really talking much when they were on their own, but she insisted that she had nothing better to do, so she might as well spend some time with her favourite sister.

It sucked, because Yang wasn't being protective, she was being really overbearing. However, Ruby knew better than to point this out and get on her bad side. There was a time and place to do so, and it wasn't in public. Besides, she knew from experience that Yang was the only one who could pull herself out of her bad moods.

She wasn't totally annoyed with Yang, though, because Yang being her shadow meant that she wasn't walking on her own. That bloodthirsty huntress was still at large, and there was nothing keeping her from sneaking into Beacon and stabbing Ruby in her sleep. It was one of the biggest reasons why her nightmares came back.

Logically speaking, she knew that there was no way that huntress would come all the way to Beacon just for her, but it was hard to be logical when somebody wanted to kill her for no good reason.

Maybe Professor Ozpin could help her. Her weekly counselling session with him was coming up, so after classes ended for the day, she made a beeline for his office, avoiding Yang before she could sniff her out. She sent her a message anyway, just so she wouldn't be worried.

"Good afternoon, Ruby," Professor Ozpin said, after she arrived, coffee mug in hand.

"Good afternoon, Professor. How are you doing?"

The good professor smiled. "Quite well, thank you. How was your weekend? I take it you were very busy."

Ruby laughed, a nervous chuckle that puttered out in two short gasps. "Yeah. Uh... are we going to be in trouble?"

"No, not at all," he said. Ruby sighed from relief. "There is something I'd like to know, however. What motivated you to fight against the White Fang?"

She took in a breath to steady herself. Then let it out once she was ready.

"I wanted to help my friend."

Professor Ozpin drank from his mug. He was the picture of poise. "Would you say that you made the right decision?"

"I did," Ruby said. She bit her lip. "I mean, the White Fang was going to steal that shipment of Dust and use it to hurt lots of people. It was really risky, but I couldn't say no, and I made sure we all took precautions."

"Such as calling the police."

"Yeah."

He nodded. "You couldn't plan for every contingency. You fought a rather dangerous mercenary."

Ruby frowned. "And lost. We couldn't do a thing to her. If we didn't have help..."

"There is no shame in failing, Ruby. You now have a greater awareness of your limitations, and a taste of life-and-death combat. This knowledge will serve you well should you choose to complete your training and become a huntress."

Hearing that didn't make her feel any better, because it didn't change the outcome of that fight. It didn't change the gleeful smile on that mercenary woman's face, the unyielding hatred that spilled from her mismatched eyes, her overwhelming skill and speed with her chosen weapon.

"Is she going to come here?"

"No," the professor said, with a finality that utterly convinced Ruby.

The tension dropped out of Ruby's shoulders, settling in her stomach. "Thank you." She bowed her head. "I was afraid she'd hunt me down. I don't know what I'd do if I had to face her again."

"I understand. Facing your mortality for the first time is truly terrifying, but more terrifying is living in fear of your eventual demise and allowing it to paralyze you. Death is nothing to be afraid of, for it is not the end."

"It's not?"

Ruby looked at Professor Ozpin's face, but all she caught was a wry smile.

"I seem to be getting ahead of myself," he said. "Do you regret your decision to fight for your friend's cause, Ruby, knowing that you had to fight that mercenary?"

She thought about it, honestly weighed the pros and cons. And in doing so, she came to the same conclusion she did when she was surrounded by her team.

"No. I helped Blake and Weiss. I kept the White Fang from succeeding. I did the right thing."

He smiled at her, a genuine smile. "Keep that in mind. Let it fuel your determination and forge your resolve. It is that purpose that will let you weather a thousand failures without succumbing to your fears."

That, she could do. She still wanted to be the world's greatest huntress. She couldn't be paralyzed by fear.

"What if I see that mercenary again?"

"Prepare. Exercise caution, as you already have, for you only have one life to live. You may not be able to defeat her in open battle, but there is more than one way to secure victory. All you have to do is find it."

She wasn't sure what that way was, but that was why she was at Beacon, to spend her time learning and growing so that she'd be capable of handling anything.

"I'll do my best."

"That's all I ask." Professor Ozpin took another sip of coffee. "How has your team been faring?"

Ruby gave the professor a smile. "We're going through a rough patch, but I know we'll be fine."

He smiled at her, once more, and it filled her with hope. "I'm sure you will."

Yang lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling in her room and not really thinking about anything in particular. Without even trying, her train of thought lurched towards her failure, but she nudged it back towards that haze of nothingness.

She wasn't in the mood to do much. Ruby was still at her counselling session with ol' Ozpin, and she didn't want to get in the way of her sister receiving the help she needed to heal. Blake was off studying at the library. She could've been there with her, but her bad mood would make everything worse, ruining a chance to get closer to her teammate.

And Weiss was somewhere else. Yang was real grateful that she hadn't taken what she said to heart, though that didn't mean she was forgiven. Far from it.

That was why she was here, alone. She didn't want her other friends to see her at her worst. It took everything she had to contain the ceaseless rage that churned within her, and even then, it still leaked out, desperately seeking an outlet of violent expression.

Maybe she could do some homework. What she really wanted to do was practice her footwork and timing, punch something so hard that it shattered, but she couldn't, not when her focus was clouded and her head throbbed. Working out didn't dull the edge, either. It made her want more, to push herself until her body broke.

She heard the door enter, listened to Ruby's boots click against the floor, and breathed in, sitting up and throwing her legs over the edge of her bed before she was consumed entirely. She couldn't fail Ruby again.

"Hey, Yang," Ruby said, looking up at her. "You doing okay?"

Yang smiled. It was almost as easy as breathing. "Yeah. How was therapy with Ozpin?"

Ruby smiled back. "It went pretty well. You don't have to worry about that mercenary huntress. Professor Ozpin ensured me that she won't be coming to Beacon."

She grit her teeth, forcing herself to keep on smiling. "You sure?"

"I have to be."

Ozpin seemed to be a straight shooter. Maybe; she hadn't really spoken to the guy. But Ruby had, and he was helping her. If Ruby trusted him on this, she could, too. For now, at least.

"Let's hope we don't see her here," Yang said. "You want to do some homework together?"

"In a bit." Ruby frowned, and it wasn't some pout, it was serious, exuding disappointment. "You were being a real jerk today, you know that?"

Yang frowned, pressing her forearms onto her thighs. "I know."

She was mad, incensed beyond belief, and it made her cruel, made her say awful things.

"I'm sorry, Ruby."

Ruby's shoulders drooped. "It's okay. Do you want to talk about it?"

Yang scowled, sucking in her words before they could spill out. She was supposed to be helping Ruby, she was her older sister. Since when did Ruby get so strong?

"I can't get that fight out of my head," Yang said, in spite of her thoughts. "I failed you, Ruby. I'm so sorry that I couldn't protect you."

She watched shock flit through Ruby's silver eyes, those eyes that reminded them of Summer, her supermom... And in those eyes, she saw acceptance.

"It's okay, Yang. We weren't good enough, but we're still here, right? We'll get better. That mercenary lady won't know what hit her."

Yang felt her cheeks stretch from the grin on her face. "Hell yeah, we will." Her smile stayed on her face, growing tender as she took in Ruby's support and realized how much she appreciated it.

"I'm really proud of you, Ruby. You've grown so much."

Ruby smiled, bashfully. "Thanks, Yang. I couldn't have done it without you."

"Glad I could help."

She liked helping people: Ruby, Weiss, Pyrrha that one time, even Jaune had all taken her advice. Now Jaune and Pyrrha were on great terms and working together really well, Weiss was maturing bit by bit, and Blake was coming out of her shell.

It was Ruby who truly stunned her. She was making a lot of progress on becoming a great huntress, a defender of justice and saviour of the needy. Seeing her grow fulfilled her in ways that she couldn't have ever imagined.

Watching her team become better people was a bitter reminder that she hadn't changed at all. She was still the same old Yang: fun-loving, thrill-seeking, ferocious and the best older sister she could be.

But what was there for her if Ruby stopped needing her? Finding her mom? Seeing all of Remnant's sights and tasting its delights? Thinking about that filled her with a dread she couldn't contain, because her search would end and leave her with nothing left to do except chase towards a purpose with no face or name.

"Yang?"

Yang shook herself, smiling at Ruby. It was almost as easy as thinking. "Sorry. Let's do that homework, yeah?"

Ruby stared at her, before giving her a thumbs-up. "You got it."

They got cracking on their homework in no time flat. She knew that the train would return and bring a treasure trove of horrors with it. It always did. But she needed to be strong, for Ruby, for Weiss, even for Blake. Most importantly, Yang needed to be strong for herself, so that if she ever had to face the monster in her mind, she could face it without a hint of fear... and punch it in the face.